Obama Betrays Britain over Falklands…Again

Barack Obama has again betrayed another traditional ally of the United States. The State Department has renewed its call for the Falkland Islands, whose population is more than 95 percent British, to have their sovereignty negotiated between Great Britain and Argentina. Forget the fact that more than 250 British servicemen died in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Islands. Forget the fact that the Islands, which lie roughly 250 nautical miles east of the coast of South America, were uninhabited until Europeans arrived there in the 17th century, and that its population’s choice at self-determination would obviously be to remain under British rule. Obama and his minions only apply the rules of self-determination in areas where anti-American sentiment is rampant (see: Arab countries of the Middle East).

Obama, in his usual duplicitous way, reportedly told British Prime Minister David Cameron in March that the United States would refrain from publicly calling for negotiations between the British and Argentina over the matter. But now the State Department is getting involved. Acting Under Secretary for Press Affairs Mike Hammer said:

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“Our policy is unchanged. We believe that this is a bilateral issue that needs to be worked out directly between Argentina and the United Kingdom. That’s what we are encouraging both sides to do … we are encouraging Argentina and the UK to work this out peacefully, to work it out through negotiations.”

This echoed Hillary Clinton’s remarks in March 2010, when she was in Argentina:

“We want very much to encourage both countries to sit down. Now, we cannot make either one do so, but we think it is the right way to proceed. So we will be saying this publicly, as I have been, and we will continue to encourage exactly the kind of discussion across the table that needs to take place.”

And State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland reiterated Clinton in February this year:

“We believe that this is a bilateral issue that needs to be worked out directly between Argentina and the United Kingdom. That’s what we are encouraging both sides to do as we head towards this anniversary… we are encouraging Argentina and the UK to work this out peacefully, to work it out through negotiations.”

There is a name for the despicable way Obama treats our allies: call it Obama Betrayal Syndrome.